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Congratulations!!! You have now met your goal weight and you are to be
commended. Take some time for yourself. Perhaps allow yourself one little
indulgence to commemorate the occasion. Personally, I had bought myself a
Snickers candy bar as my reward. I kept it in the freezer throughout most
of my Phase II as my reminder that I was working toward something. When I
finally achieved my goal, I set out to eat my reward - I made it through
about 1/2 of the candy bar when I realized that I no longer was as
thrilled with eating it as I used to be. I put the remainder back in the
freezer and moved on to Phase III. Phase III doesn't differ much from
Phase II. It's less restrictive on the amount of grains, but you still
don't go back to the old habits. Stay away from anything white - white
bread, white rice, white potatoes, etc. An occasional serving is now ok,
but don't make the mistake of going back to tons of pastas, potatoes and
breads. You can easily reverse the progress you made if you do so.
I basically still eat as though I was in Phase II, with some
modifications in those starches on occasion. I monitor my weight on a
weekly basis to ensure I'm not getting off-track. I've had fluctuations of
a pound or two in any given week, but have maintained within that variance
of my goal weight since first attaining it.
Bear in mind that this diet is a lifestyle change. The whole purpose
behind the phases and the strict regimen was to teach you how and what to
eat. Keep eating three meals per day and avoiding those "poisons" that got
us in trouble to begin with. For me, there has been a drastic increase in
stamina, a couple new wardrobe sizes and just a general nature of feeling
better. Food is no longer just a necessity for life, I actually enjoy
choosing my menus and acquiring new tastes and favorites along the way.
That's what was so cool about this diet: I never felt like I was being
deprived of anything. I slipped here and there along the way and ate
things I shouldn't have - in fact, I still do so. My overall menus though
are very South Beach friendly and have helped me achieve what I set out to
do. Many of the old foods I used to eat don't even appeal to me. In fact,
many of them appear to me as "poisonous" when I see someone else eating
them. I don't envy the diner what they are able to eat. I feel sorry for
them for not knowing what those foods are doing to them - a long, slow
suicide... |
